REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 25 - Departure

Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture: Camp Naha

"What, Saipan?"

First Lieutenant Nozomu Mizukami, a member of the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade's 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, asked as he went for his morning run. First Lieutenant Junya Onoda, who was a year his junior in the National Defense Academy and now commanded the platoon next to him said that they were going to Saipan, hearing that the regimental commander yelling at him, so he seemed to have a good deal of credibility.

"For what, sightseeing trip?"

"I heard that the B-29s that hit Tokyo came from Saipan or something, so maybe they're planning to take the entire airstrip?"

"OnoJun, as serious as ever."

"In fact, we were on board the Kunisaki in the immediate-response preparation rotation," Onoda said, matching his rushing pace.

It was certainly something that seemed plausible. The counterattack by the Air Self-Defense Force was a great success, and the airfields in the Mariana Islands area are reportedly unusable except for small ones. But if left alone, they would one day be restored. The best way to reduce that possibility to zero is to fry the ground troops. And the ARDB was the best unit for that purpose. It was a unit that specialized in island warfare, and recently some of its members had been cruising the East China Sea aboard Ōsumi-class transport ships, fully armed. That's why they were able to deploy to Okinawa so quickly.

"But we're only a little over 600 men in the regiment, you know?" Mizukami said, looking a little apprehensive as he rounded a corner with great energy. "Saipan may be in the rear, but there are still thousands of garrisons."

"Aren't there going to be reinforcements from elsewhere? And I'm sure the Air Self-Defense Force will hit them from the air."

"But we're infantry, you know? Infantrymen are the same now as they were then."

"We have anti-tank missiles, so I think we can take them, right?"

"OnoJun, as optimistic as ever."

Mizukami did not pursue it further and concentrated on running. They will soon be returning to the transport ship Kunisaki. Although it is possible to do various exercises as shipboard physical education, it is more refreshing to run on the ground. Besides, the adage that muscles never betray you is true on the battlefield as well.

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Pacific Ocean: off Ulithi Atoll

A destroyer was the first to go out of the atoll with other ships to conduct a patrol. The waterway leading out of the atoll is a perfect ambush point for submarines. The Japanese Navy, in particular, has recently been using human torpedoes with powerful warheads, including one that sank a large tanker last November. Careful anti-submarine patrols were necessary to prevent other large naval vessels, especially aircraft carriers, from following them to the watery grave. However, there have been fewer reports of the discovery of hostile submarines in the Ulithi Atoll area recently. The strict security measures may be working.

"We have a light signal... it reads, thank you for your anti-submarine patrol."

"Mm."

The captain, Lieutenant Commander John Balch, affirmed with satisfaction that the lookout's report was correct. In the blinding sunlight, the newcomer, USS Randolph, was leaving the atoll. The thirteenth of the Essex-class ships, she had joined the order of battle only a month before. Even so, she had returned safely from last month's successful attack on the Kanto region. She is already a splendid battle maiden.